


The Heart You Claimed

by Raspberries_Heartbeat



Series: Clint Barton: Avenger, Archer extraordinaire, and Father of the year [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Fingering, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint's a great father, Dirty Talk (Sort of), Domestic Avengers, Early Mornings, Established Relationship, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, First Dates, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Idiots in Love, Insecurity, Kissing, Light Nipple Play, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, Neck Kissing, Not Canon Compliant, Parenthood, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark Friendship, Pet Names, Peter is basically Lily's brother at this point, Porn with Feelings, Premature ejaculation (kind of), Real parent worries, Sexual Inexperience, Smut, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Tenderness, Thor the babysitter, Tony Stark Has A Heart, handjob
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-08-02 04:23:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16298102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raspberries_Heartbeat/pseuds/Raspberries_Heartbeat
Summary: Tony and Clint explore the infinite possible ways to love each other. Or: A collection of the ‘firsts’ in their relationship.***Each chapter can be read as a stand-alone.Rated M for the occasional smut.





	1. First Date

Sometimes, in the wee hours of the morning, when the sun just began to color in the world and the air was still brisk and fresh with the promise of all the opportunities of a brand-new day, Clint and Lily would sneak up to the roof of the Avengers Tower. They would take a flask with honeyed tea, and blankets and Clint’s guitar to watch the sunrise.

It was one of the things they had taken to the Tower from their life at the SHIELD Headquarters like they took bedtime stories and hallway tag and pillow forts with them. To Clint it was a great relief that the change in scenery didn’t automatically result in a change of habits; at least their most cherished ones stayed the same, regardless of their surroundings. 

They’d call it rooftop-camping, although technically neither tents nor s’mores were involved. But that didn’t matter- generally, nothing mattered much in those moments, besides the safe bubble they created around themselves and the sun, changing the sky from a cold blue to a rich lilac.

 

It was one of those mornings when two other Avengers found themselves up early: Tony, who didn’t even register the change from night to day, since he had been so busy tinkering on a new SI project; and Steve silently accompanying him, idly sitting on the well-loved sofa sketching away, hair still damp from his post-workout shower. Both men came to appreciate their silent routine, neither of them asking questions why the other was still or already up. During those moments, they weren’t Head of SI and Captain Rogers, they were just Tony and Steve; two friends, savoring the privileges of these rare moments of peace.

Tony stared at the blueprints until his sight grew blurry, exhaustion taking its toll over his body at last. The body that struggled to keep up with the brutal pace of his genius mind, the body that demanded rest although his thoughts were wide awake. Steve noticed (because Steve is very good at noticing small things about people because Steve cares), beckoned DUM-E over and gave the robot a bottle of water with the instructions to give it to Tony.

The engineer took the offered beverage gratefully, petting the robot on its metalhead, who in return whirled around happily.

“You should take a break,” Steve offered not unkindly.

Tony rubbed his face and made a nonchalant noise of agreement.

 

“Why don’t you get a milkshake with your fellah’?”

The billionaire choked on the sip he was taking.  “My God, you really are ancient,” he coughed.

Steve gave him a look.

“Still,” Tony continued, while wiping the water from his chin, “a date is not a half-bad idea.”

 

Although Clint and Tony had entered a relationship, there was hardly any change visible in their day to day life so far. They were both busy doing their own thing, and with the increase of missions in the last two weeks they didn’t really have time to catch a breath and enjoy being together. The “couple” part of their relationship consequentially consisted of nothing more than a hand full of kisses in the mornings and evenings, and cuddles during movie night.

But a date would be different. A date would be something new and exciting and exclusively for them; an intimate occasion that didn’t present itself before. A chance to be with the man, who (Tony was pretty sure) was the best damn thing that had happened to him in over a decade.

 

“Of course, it’s not,” Steve chided without any heat. “Spending time with your partner is always the best option.”

“Aw, wouldn’t have thought you as an old romantic, Capsicle.”

Instead of being offended by the nickname as he had been in the beginning, Steve just grinned. He knew it was Tony’s way of expressing affection.

“Just making sure you won’t be messing this up.”

Considering Tony’s poor track record with relationships, that was a valid concern. So, Tony just shrugged. “That’s fair.”

 

There was a pause, in which Steve rose from his spot on the couch and walked over to his friend, placing a warm hand on his back.

“And I missed seeing you happy.”

Tony gave Steve a friendly shove.  “You old sap,” he teased, but the expression on his face was warm and soft and said more than words ever would.

***

Clint was having a quiet late morning, playing some video game while Lily was off to her private tutoring lesson with Bruce. They finally stopped skirting around the education-issue and got Lily admitted for a school not far from the tower. While Clint was glad that Lily was able to spend some time with people her age, it was a weird feeling to send her away every morning. They were basically inseparable since Lily had been six years old. She was growing up now; and while it made Clint so proud, he was also a tiny little bit sad about it.

 

The archer pushed those thoughts away when Tony made his dramatic entrance.

“Steve says that I’m a terrible boyfriend-“

Clint rolled his eyes, not even sparing a glance at the billionaire.

“Lovely way to start a conversation, Tones. I’m sure Steve said no such thing, but alright.”

 

“Shush. I was paraphrasing. What I want to carry across is that I never properly courted you-“

 At this, Clint snorted because he didn’t _need_ to be courted. Tony is already investing enough money into him and Lily, and Clint doesn’t need to be wooed to be head over heels for his friend.

Tony paid him no mind and continued unfazed: “And that ends right now. Tonight, I’m taking you out.”

The engineer sat down cross-legged next to his partner, who finally looked up from his game with sparkling eyes.

“Great, Nat’s been talking about that Thai place she’s dying to visit -“

 

“Clint. You’re making this difficult.”

“Alright, what about the waffle house with Lily-“

Tony let out a long-suffering sigh and mumbled something about oblivious boyfriends under his breath before he explained his intentions: “A date. You and me. Romantic.”

“Oh. _Ooooh_.”

“Good, glad that you joined the conversation.”

 

Satisfied with himself, Tony let his arms pop and pulled Clint into his side.

“What do you say?” he asks low into Clint’s cheek, before pressing a little kiss right at the spot underneath his archer’s jawline.

Clint had oppositions- 1) Tony really doesn’t have to spend more money on him, 2) They are already dating, so they’re already at the ideal outcome of courting, and 3) Clint has never been on a date in his entire thirty-something years of existence and is pretty sure there has to be a reason for that- but they were wavering quickly under the soft assault.

 

“Thor is free and very enthusiastic about babysitting for a couple of hours.”

Thor was Lily’s favorite babysitter. With his childish sense of wonder and cheerful attitude, the God always did promise a lot of fun when he looked after the “Little Lady Barton”. Plus, Thor could tell the best stories, about far-off places and wondrous beings with a voice that was smooth and rich like honey.

Still, Thor was Thor. Not exactly your picture of mature authority.

 

Tony must have felt the reluctance in the soft shifting and clenching of his partner’s muscles, for he finally looked up from the patch of skin he was busy nuzzling.

Clint worried his lower lip between his teeth, unsure. “Tony, I don’t know… Don’t you remember last time? At the zoo? That poor penguin….”

“Bruce is coming along as supervision.”

 

Clint huffed out a breath, already more than halfway defeated. He just couldn’t say no to anything Tony asked from him, especially since his partner asked for so little and gave so much all the time.

“C’mon, Grumpy. Let me have this. I want to smother you in my affection.”

Paradoxically, the one thing Tony _asked_ for (most of the time) was to give even more than he already did. Clint asked himself, not for the first time, when Tony stopped to voice the desires he graved just for himself. It was another bullet point on the growing list of things that puzzled him about Tony, of things he had yet to understand about his partner.

But all in due time.

So, it was settled. They would be going on a date in the evening.

***

Dates- as it turned out- were a bloody logistical effort. While Tony was busy being a genius in a SI meeting, Clint consulted his private advisors in pretty much everything, Lily and Nat. Both women were excited about the prospect of the date (Clint thanked all the heaven’s above that Lily didn’t mind her father’s new relationship at all; Clint would have aborted the whole thing if she wouldn’t have given her blessings), mainly it gave them a chance to a) play dress up with Clint as their Ken-doll and b) criticize his questionable fashion choices (ever since they started watching Queer Eye together, his two favorite women took fashion _very_ seriously).

They were currently going through outfit number four and Clint was going through a major silent crisis.

Some facts: He had never been asked out by _anyone_ , ever. Tony wasn’t just anyone, he was a billionaire, philanthropist, playboy, genius, etc. Tony’s lifestyle had a certain level of luxury to it, something that Clint was neither familiar nor comfortable with. He didn’t meet Tony’s standards.

The inevitable conclusion: He would be completely out of place, regardless of what Tony would plan for them and Tony would realize that, too. And maybe, just a bit maybe, Tony would think that dating someone like Clint would be a bad idea.

 

Suddenly, there was a pair of socks, hitting him square in the face.

“Oi, [идиот](http://browse.dict.cc/russian-english/%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BE%D1%82.html) (Ru: idiot), you look like you’re about to be sick.”

“I think I am,” Clint answered truthfully.

“Not on the outfit,” Lily chided.

 

Clint can’t help cracking a grin and ruffling her hair in a friendly manner. But she’s right, he looks… almost presentable. In the black trousers, he hadn’t worn in roughly a decade and the dark blue shirt he didn’t remember buying.

It was very chic for him, but it’s Tony Stark standards they were talking. With a flutter in his stomach, Clint realized that he wasn’t really all that worried that Tony would break up with him over a date, but that he wanted Tony to _appreciate_ the way he looked, he wanted Tony to see the best version of…. Whatever it was he saw when he looked at Clint with _that_ look on his face.

 

“You worry way too much,” Nat told him gently, in a tone she only ever used when none of the other Avengers were around. It felt intimate and sincere.

Clint huffed out a laugh. “ ’course I do. Have you met Tony?”

Nat rolled her eyes and gave him a grin in the mirror, while she held the two jacket options in question against the shirt, to determine which color worked best.

“C’mon now, it’s not like he’s taking you to- I don’t know- Paris or something.”

***

“You’re not taking Clint to Paris,” it wasn’t a question and it wasn’t a gentle remark. It was a Pepper Potts orderTM.

Tony pouted.

“You liked Paris.”

“I also like cherry red ankle boots; I’m not really the scale when it comes to _your_ boyfriend.”

The meeting finished half an hour ago, but Tony had been reluctant to leave the conference room, pleading Pepper to help him come up with a decent date idea.

 

Dates- as it turned out- were a bloody heartfelt concern.

Tony realized that he never in his entire life had taken someone out on a _normal_ date before. During his LA years, people adored him for his money and he threw it around carelessly; during the time after Afghanistan, Pepper had scheduled most of their dates in the short time they had been an item, mainly because she hated surprises and was better at that kind of stuff anyway.

Clint, however, fit into neither of these categories, what left Tony to his own devices.

He hadn’t realized until that very moment how much he _sucked_ at romance.

 

There was a legitimate chance that Clint could hate whatever he came up with, and only the thought of it opened up a pit in Tony’s stomach. It had been _his_ idea, why the hell did nobody stop him?! Stupid Steve Rogers with his stupid 40s chivalry.

“This is a terrible idea,” the billionaire announced gloomily.

Pepper rolled her eyes, already pretty fed up with Tony’s dramatics after the hour-long meetings.

“You’re unbelievable,” she murmured under her breath, before continuing in the sweet tone she used during business negotiations, “Tony, honey, all of this is really quite easy. Find a place or an activity or _something_ that Clint likes and _do it with him_ , see, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

 

She was half-way through the door when Tony held her back one more time.

“You’re quite good with this.” His voice was quiet and thoughtful and made Pepper pause and look at him again. Their eyes met and a deep emotion flickered over the engineer’s face for the split of a second, only to be replaced by a sort of lost look.

“I’m sorry.”

An apology was a rare sentiment coming from a larger than life personality like Tony pretended he was.

“For…-“ he trailed off and waved his hand in the air in an all-encompassing gesture. “Being so bad at this. You were the best thing that could have happened to me after Afghanistan; I’m sorry I drove you away.”

For the longest time, Tony had treasured Pepper as the living proof that there was a heart somewhere inside of him; and while the break-up was consensual, and they remained close friends, the sinking feeling of failure never quite left Tony. Pepper was an extraordinary woman, the best damn woman he ever met; yet he never showed her, never made her feel special in that intimate sort of way. He had no desire whatsoever to get back together with her- he was madly in love with Clint, after all- but still, Pepper represented so much _good_ in his life, how could he ever appreciate her enough?

The frown on Pepper’s face softened, while she walked right back to where Tony was slumped in his chair. She looked down on him with her lopsided smirk, and Tony noticed her freckles for the first time in months and her face held something so oddly familiar and safe that he smirked back before he could stop himself.

“You didn’t drive me away. I’m right here, aren’t I?”

She sighed playfully and put a warm hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“Alright, then. Let’s plan this date. You’re paying me overtime.”

***

Clint wiped his sweaty palms on his pants for the fourth time in the past ten minutes, waiting in front of the Avengers Tower. While he initially found Tony’s insistence on picking him up a bit over the top - they lived in the same building, for Heaven’s sake- he had to admit that it really added to the first date feel (not that he would know; all he knew about dates came from terrible high school rom-coms).

Normally, Clint detested being fussed over, mainly because he didn’t like the idea of adding more attention to his person or his needs or his desires than strictly necessary. He was fine with whatever he could get, never made any amendments or voiced any wishes. He was just grateful for everything he got in his life, really. He wasn’t the type to bathe in affection.

Something with Tony, however, was different. Maybe it was the whole relationship-thing they had going, but Clint found that he didn’t mind Tony’s affections as much. They were always perfectly timed and came unexpected enough to be surprising, but not too surprising to be overwhelming. Clint’s heart skipped a small beat and a pleasant tingle passed over him, at the thought of being the center of Tony’s attention the whole evening. Time together came rare, cramped in between their busy schedules. They didn’t have something like _this_ before- a planned arrangement, a conscious rendezvous.

It filled the archer with the kind of nervousness that was warm and wrapped all around him like a hug.

 

Tony arrived in a convertible that he drove himself. Clint was relived, he always felt incredibly awkward around Tony’s drivers or Tony’s staff in general.

The second relief was that Tony was dressed nice, but not in one of his super-fancy suits that had the price of a minivan. He also wore one of his signature sunglasses, although the sun was already low between the rooftops and basked everything in a warm glow.

The billionaire threw an easy smile in the direction of his date when Clint got into the car’s passenger seat. Clint leaned over and kissed his partner as a greeting and noticed- to his third immense relief- that Tony was also a little bit tense. The archer couldn’t describe it, but it made him feel so much better about his own nervousness to know that he wasn’t the only one new to this whole situation.

“You look good,” Tony murmured against his lips, reluctant to let go.

 

They drove for a while through the darkening city, sharing stories about their days. It came easy and comfortable and Clint felt stupid for worrying about this date too much. After all, they were still Clint and Tony, regardless of the situation, and Clint and Tony fit together well.

The air streaming around them was still warm from the sunny day and Clint was lulled by the comfort of it all- even if they would just drive around all night, he wouldn’t object. One of his hands came to rest on his partner’s thigh, and Tony threw the occasional smile in his direction.

 

“This is real nice, Tones,” Clint sighed, contently.

“Yeah?” the engineer asked, his voice a gentle timbre against the soft sounds of the city rushing by.

“I was kinda worried about tonight,” Clint admitted, eyeing the street before them. “That you’d be all fancy plans and luxury and I would be the odd one out at the occasion.”

“So, you’re telling me to cancel the private boat tour in Italy?” Tony joked.

Clint swatted his partner’s thigh playfully. “I kindly decline the money that’s thrown my way.”

“Shame.”

He was silent for a heartbeat.

“We’re almost there.”

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“You’ll see.”

 

They drove for another fifteen minutes, until they arrived at an ordinary-looking skyscraper, that had to be one of the highest buildings in New York.

Clint, always the agent, asserted the situation. He remembered the building from one of Tony’s business presentations; it was owned by Stark Industries. What could Tony want _here_ , of all places?  

“Shall we?”

He snapped his head around to give his partner a quizzical look, who just smiled and held the passenger door open.

 

“What are we doing here?” Clint murmured, after Tony ushered them in the elevator, mostly unnoticed by all the busy SI employees, who were running a late shift.

Before Tony could answer, the elevator dinged softly, and the doors slid open.

 

Clint took some steps in the warm evening air and let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

The view was _mesmerizing_. The rooftop was, safe the elevator door, basked in complete darkness. Above them, there was an outburst of stars and below the glowing lights of the city. Both illuminated the night.

Clint had taken some steps closer to the edge, where-like he now saw- rested some blankets, a big flask and some Thai take-out boxes.

He breathed- the air was fresher up here- and closed his eyes for a second, just listening to the quiet murmur of New York beneath him. He always felt safe when he was high up. Safe and free and content with himself and the world.

Tony’s arms encircled his waist from behind and he was pulled against the engineer’s strong chest. Clint melted into the familiar warmth.

 

“You love the rooftop at home,” Tony’s tender voice washed over his neck in a soft breath. “I figured I could show you a different view.”

Clint didn’t answer, _couldn’t_ answer- this might be the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for him- but he took Tony’s hands in his own and guided him over his heart, where he held them, hoping that Tony would understand.

Like that they stood, with a blanket of stars above and the pull of the city beneath; calm and happy and _together_.

 

Later, they were huddled together in blankets, eating take-out straight from the boxes and laughed until their stomachs hurt.

 

“I was worried you wouldn’t like it,” Tony admitted after setting the last empty box aside.

Clint rolled his eyes- really, the sheer thought of him disliking being at the expense of Tony’s affections was absurd- and settled against his partner’s chest. Tony opened the blanket he had placed around his shoulders and wrapped them both in it, creating an additional source of warmth despite their combined body heat.

Clint closed his eyes and welcomed Tony’s embrace. He could feel the rise and fall of his partner’s chest in his back, and the gentle pressure of their thighs pressed up together.

 

“You’re doing great at this relationship-thing so far,” he breathed, turning his head so his nose was comfortably pressed against Tony’s collarbone, where he smelled of cologne and motor oil and Tony.

“Not that I have much comparison, but you’re pretty amazing.”

Tony caught one of Clint’s hands and brought it to his lips, kissing the palm gently. The intimacy of this action drove a shiver through Clint’s whole body.

 

‘ _I love you_ ,’ he thought but didn’t say it. It would be an unreasonable thing to do, they were in the beginnings of their relationship, they barely scratched the surface; still, Clint knew that it was true.

Instead, he looked up at Tony and his partner must have read the affection off of his face because he bent down and brought their lips together. The kiss conveyed all the emotion they chose to leave unsaid, it was urgent and charged and _desperate_ in a bitter-sweet way.

“Tony-“ he started, anxious to say something- anything- to ease the fluttering in his stomach and the tingling in his limps. But it came out more like a whisper, a beg he didn’t know what for. He just _wanted_ to be closer.

Tony must have heard the edge in his voice, for he took Clint by the waist and turned him, so they were sitting front to front, Clint in Tony’s lap, pressing and pressing against him as close as he could. Their breaths mingled when they came together in another desperate kiss, hands clawing at each other’s bodies, searching for release, grounding, _more_.

 

The sound of Clint’s phone going off had them coming up for air, clearing the fog of arousal that had settled over them.

Checking the message with one hand, while still leaning against Tony heavily, Clint realized that they had spent hours on the rooftop.

“Thor’s signing off for the night. Lily’s in bed.”

He rested his head against Tony’s forehead, feeling the heavy breathing of his partner. Tony’s hair was tousled where he had buried his hands in it and the first button of his dress-shirt came undone. He looked deliciously disheveled and Clint couldn’t help but chuckle.

They were a bunch of love-sick idiots.

“Let’s get back to the Tower,” Tony suggested quietly. Clint nodded in agreement and gave him another kiss for good measure, sweeter this time.

 

The way home was much shorter, and they drove in comfortable silence, each left to their own thoughts. They had agreed to take it slow, sexually, due to Clint’s inexperience and Tony’s bad experiences with arousal-driven relationships. Clint was glad, even if they stumbled into desperate moments like the one on the rooftop. He wouldn’t be comfortable with rushing into bed head over heels, he wasn’t that kind of guy. He loved Tony even more for being so damn understanding about it all.

 

Tony insisted on bringing right to his bedroom door, in a gentlemanly fashion. There they shared another long kiss, Tony’s tongue gently prodding at the seam of Clint’s lips until the archer let him in, sighing into the mouth that claimed his own with such incredible ease.

For Tony was dominant but never pushed the boundaries, letting Clint set the pace on every step of the way. It was gentle and sweet and so caring that Clint didn’t know what to do with himself.

 

“Thank you,” he whispered against the kiss-warm lips, before closing the gap again, never getting enough of the sweet, sweet sensation of going slack against Tony’s body and letting himself be guided in the kiss.

“Thank you for everything.” The date. The waiting. The taking it slow. The heart-wrenching _affection_. All the things he couldn’t bring himself to say at that moment, but which he felt, deep and heavy and real in his heart.

 

Tony smiled against his lips.

“Anything for my fellah’.”

Clint snorted and let go of his boyfriend finally, looking at him- standing in the doorway, in front of him, and being the best damn partner, that Clint could have ever hoped for.

 

Then, he pulled Tony against his chest and hugged him, as tightly as he could, taking it all in. Their first date had been a complete success.

 

“Good night, Tony.”

“Good night, Clint.”


	2. First Christmas together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some domestic Avengers Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written as a Christmas present for my on- and off-line partner in crime KasyStarchild.
> 
> I love you, my dear. Writing and fangirling is a pure joy with you <3
> 
> (enough cheesiness, on with the story! Heck, who am I kidding: More cheese!)

Cheery Christmas music was blaring through the speakers of the mediocre crowded mall on a cold December afternoon. It was five days from Christmas, and a trio of Avengers plus one very excited little girl were just getting ready to go their separate ways.

Tony generously offered to take them to the mall to get presents (Clint suspected his ‘super-rich and super-influential’ partner might have something to do with the fact that there were almost no people in the shops apart from their merry little group). They had been discussing the game plan in front of a Starbucks and were now ready to start shopping in pairs. The plan was simple, yet genius: Tony and Clint would team up first to get presents for Lily and Peter; while Lily and Peter would shop for Clint and Tony. 90 minutes later, they would meet at the Starbucks again to change teams. After the final swap, there would be coffee and hot chocolate as treat. It was fool-proof and created to keep the inevitable chaos of Christmas shopping to a minimum.

All four of them shook hands to seal the deal and swarmed out into the mall.

 

This is how Clint Barton- assassin, SHIELD agent and superhero- found himself in the purgatory that was the ‘for girls’ isle of a gigantic toy store. As his eyes flickered over the bright, obnoxious displays of puppets, make-up kits and stuffed animals, he felt briefly light-headed. It hits him unexpectedly how much he misses Nat in this moment (he had never shopped any of Lily’s presents without her), but Nat’s on an important solo mission and won’t be returning until the day before Christmas. For better or worse, Clint was on his own.

He had saved the world.

He could do this.

(It was their first Christmas together where he actually had some money to spare for decent presents. Against popular belief, agents really didn’t make all that much and Avengers didn’t get paid for the job at all. Since moving into the tower, however, money wasn’t such a sore topic for Clint anymore).

“Please, kill me,” he mumbled when he entered the third row of cupboards solely dedicated to Barbie dolls.

 

Tony, however, wasn’t that lost. He skipped through the store like he owned the place (maybe he did, here’s a thought), having collected the perfect gift for Lily in seconds.

It was a kit to build a robot (how did he manage to find the cool presents, while Clint was still stuck in this pink plastic hell?!), which, he assured Clint merrily, was ‘good for a start, but of course they would tune it once they had built it.’ (That Tony picked a present for Lily, which included him spending time with her made Clint’s heart skip in a way he was now very familiar with. It usually happened when Tony did something that was so unexpected and so sweet that he wanted to weep but didn’t because he had some dignity left).

After another fifteen minutes of browsing, he dejectedly realized that this just wasn’t the place to shop for his daughter, because Lily just didn’t seem to care about any of the stuff that advertisements proclaimed as ‘perfect’ for her age.

 

Instead, he got her a bow.

The decision, mind you, was a long and tiring process, because he wrangled with himself for weeks about it. Lily was interested, a quick study and handy; yet Clint felt like pushing her along a certain path when giving her a _weapon_ when she was only ten years old. He couldn’t imagine the horrified looks he would get from the mothers he had met at the parent-teacher conference at Lily’s school last week. They clearly _hated_ his parenting techniques and he couldn’t blame them for it. It wasn’t like he was trained for it or anything.

But the bow was a beautiful, light thing, perfect for beginners and perfect for training precision and concentration.

Tony complimented him on his amazing choice and Clint grinned like an idiot all the way through the Lego-store, where they bought an unholy amount of Lego for a guy who was not only fifteen but also fricking _Spiderman_. But knowing the pure soul of Peter Parker, he would probably love it (Tony also got him a apprenticeship in one of the biggest bio-tech institutes in the country, since the boy had been talking non-stop about studying mechanical biology one day; ever since his high school had that fancy college-orientation day, which Clint never lived through because he left school _way_ too soon).

 

When they swapped teams, Lily filed him in on all the details: Peter had gotten Tony a fancy pen with his name engraved on it and a photograph of them for his wallet; she had gotten a nice frame for the picture Steve helped her draw (it was almost a masterpiece, proud father of the year dared to say. It depicted Tony with all his robots, wearing Santa hats). What she didn’t tell him was that Peter got him an ironic ‘dads are superheroes’ mug (a sentiment that would surely lead Clint to _actually weep_ a little, considering how much closer he and Peter got ever since Lily started referring to Peter as her ‘brother’) and she spend all day yesterday collecting photos and bits of memories for the empty photo-album now safely hidden away in a bag; which she intended to fill with happy memories. She knew for a fact that neither she, nor Clint have had a photo-album before due to their less than ideal childhoods and planned on changing that right about now. They took enough silly photos every _day_ to fill at least fifty pages.

An hour later, they were equipped with a pair of matching Christmas-sweaters (with little happy snowmen!) that Lily insisted were the _ideal_ brother-sister-present (Clint didn’t dare to argue with her) and Clint carried a small bag with a small gift box inside; worrying all the way whether Tony would like his present or just find it silly (they were dating for a few months now and things were going just about great; minus the fact that they still spent far less time together than either of them would have liked, thus slowing the progress of intimacy considerably. They hadn’t even shared a bed yet. Or had sex. Or said ‘I love you’. It wasn’t easy, but Clint supposed that it was what you get when you were dating a superhero genius while being a superhero agent).

 

All around, the trip was a success.

Thus, everybody was quite satisfied when they piled up on one of the overly-comfortable couches scattered all over every Starbucks in existence.

The ‘adults’ were in charge of getting the drinks, while the ‘kids’ were left to their own devices, already deeply engaged in a heartfelt discussion about the best topping for Christmas cookies (Bruce, the kind soul, volunteered to bake with Lily (again, Clint could weep because now his daughter was getting the full Christmas packet with their family of choice) and Lily was eager to get some inspiration since Peter insisted that ‘Aunt May’s the best baker in the _world_ , hands down’.

 

While they waited in the obnoxiously long queue, Tony wrapped his arms around Clint’s waist from behind and pulled him against his chest. Clint flushed, not really used to Tony’s public displays of affection; which were rare, to say the least.

They weren’t hiding their relationship per se, but part of the deal of being famous was to try and keep their private lives behind closed doors.  Tony had a legacy and an image to uphold and Clint wouldn’t want to ruin that for him (he could already see the headlines: ‘Genius dates far under his standard. What is he thinking?’). And of course, the gay thing. While sexuality wasn’t that big of a deal for Clint personally, he knew that the world cared about it a whole awful lot, most of the opinions bigoted and small-minded. He didn’t talk with Tony (or anyone) about it really, but he worried that there would be some ugly backlash for the Avengers if they made their relationship public at the current political climate. It was easier to keep it within the walls of the tower and in small, secured spaces like this one (all the Hipsters in their mid-twenties waiting in line didn’t even flinch at the sight of a gay couple and were far too occupied at being moody and edgy on their tumblr-blogs to even _know_ who they were).

Tony placed his chin at Clint’s shoulder and looked up at him, smiling.

Clint grinned back at him and dipped down to kiss him on the lips briefly.

He couldn’t help it.

Tony turned him into a big old sap. Tony just made him happy.

 

He didn’t let go of Clint, even as it was their turn to order.

The girl at the counter gave them a lop-sided grin.

She was around eighteen, a vacation-jobber no doubt, probably earning some money for college. Her dimples and messy black bun reminded Clint instantly of Lily. While they waited as she prepared the drinks, Clint looked back at the table, catching sight of Lily laughing about something Peter had said, before looking at the barista again.

Unexpectedly, a sense of sorrow settled like a weight on his chest.

It wasn’t that long until Lily would be her age, too.

Sure, it still were a couple of years, but time’s always running; and before you know it, it’s passed.

Would Lily have a job like this? Would she need to? Would she want to go off to a college, or an art school, or travel? Would she be _able_ to?

They didn’t have to worry about money currently.

But they had zero savings for the future; a result of living years just from one day to the other at SHIELD.

Clint tried to swallow the lump in his throat down as he thought about his little girl all grow-up, facing the adult world with very real adult worries. Would they still be so close? Would she still want to spend time with her old dad, watching trash T.V. and eating ice-cream?

He let out a weak breath.

Would she still _want_ him as her father? They weren’t bonded by blood. Lily could call the adoption off whenever she pleased. What-

 

“You’re alright, love?”

Clint was shaken out of his thoughts by a worried looking Tony, who was balancing four drinks in his arms. They had moved along the counter and Tony had paid without Clint even noticing.

“Fine, I guess,” he replied timidly, while watching Tony heap an ungodly amount of vanilla sugar into his gingerbread latte-macchiato.

The engineer gave him a look over his shoulder. Clint sighed. Damn those attentive boyfriends.

“It’s just… she’s growing up so fast, you know? It seems like yesterday when I adopted her and now…” he swallows, chiding himself. It’s stupid fatherly sentimentality. He shouldn’t bother Tony with his own silly emotions.

“I should be thinking about her future, about college and other stuff that I’m horrendously unfamiliar with.” They walked slowly back to their spot.

“Lily’s a smart kid, I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities ahead of her, once the time comes.”

“Opportunities are expensive, though,” Clint comments, before he lets the topic slide, since they arrived at the table and this isn’t a conversation Lily should be subjected to; not at the moment.

He manages to shake the remnants of his small existential crisis off but didn’t miss the way Tony was eyeing him thoughtfully for the rest of the day.

***

The whole Avengers gang (plus Aunt May) is settled in the living-room, stuffed to the brim with Bruce’s delicious Christmas feast, comfortably spending the evening in front of the cackling fire-place.

It’s domestic and warm; like Christmas should be.

Clint thought to himself, this might be the best Christmas that he and Lily ever had.

The Avengers didn’t seem to disagree. Christmas was different when a child was around; a child young enough to look beyond presents and niceties and saw the genuine _magic_ in coming together and spending time with your loved ones. 

Of course, presents were still an important part of it.

Lily made everyone open her presents first, too eager to wait any longer to see their reactions. She had taken her time to make a personalized gift for every single member of her new family; each of them thoughtful and unique. Peter put the sweater on right away and Tony declared happily that the picture deserved a special place in his workshop, where all the robots could see it (Clint caught sight of Tony much later- when everyone else was asleep- cradling the picture in his hand, smiling down at it. It seemed like it was slowly sinking in that he was a part of their family; a valuable, irreplaceable part. How Clint adore him in that moment; when Tony hugged the picture a little and sighed; like he was finally coming home after being on the run for all of his life).

Clint _did_ tear up when the photo-album came into view.

He was absolutely losing his status of a ‘cool dad’ but as Lily hugged him and told him that he loved him with a little quiver in her own voice, Clint found that he couldn’t care less.

He was silly for worrying.

Lily loved him. He loved Lily.

Family just doesn’t stop being family once you’re growing older. Family stays with you forever. Family always has your back.

And, boy, did Clint have the best unconventional family in the world.

He couldn’t stop smiling as the present-opening-session was briefly put on hiatus in favor of huddling together and looking at the photos. Lily was sitting securely on Nat’s lap (she had missed her auntie terribly while she had been away, and Natasha returned the sentiment wholeheartedly) and explaining patiently every single photo or scrap she had collected. Everyone was listening intently and as Clint let his eyes roam over them and back to his daughter, he felt a deep sense of belonging that was so forceful that his heart jumped in his chest.  He had never felt so wanted and accepted in his whole life. It was exhilarating; being loved unconditionally like this.

 

Lily loved all of her presents (especially Peter’s signed Spiderman scrapbook because it was ‘like the coolest thing and all the girls in school will be so jealous because I know Spiderman and Spiderman is the coolest’ (insert dejected glances from Captain America and Iron man)) and as soon as Peter had unwrapped his Lego-sets, was busied in helping him built a replica of the Millennial Falcon.

 

Tony gave him a charming grin and a wink when he unwrapped a coupon for a week-end trip to a destination of his choosing. Clint grinned happily at the prospect of spending a vacation with his sweetheart (considering it was the first trip he would ever take without having to kill somebody along the way) and gave Tony a soundful kiss on the lips, that was accompanied by cat-calls and wolf-whistles (because really, the Avengers were shipping it _hard_ at this point).

 

Soon, there was only one present left unwrapped.

Clint’s palms started sweating when he fished the small box out of his shirt-pocket where he held it secure the whole evening.

The friendly banter that had erupted was dying down immediately; all eyes fixed on Clint. The archer suddenly realized what it must look like from the outside and blushed furiously. It wasn’t _that_ ; but I could easily be mistaken for _that_ , and now Clint was even more nervous. Nat gave him a ‘wtf I’m away for a week and this shit happens’-look, and Clint communicated with his eyes that he sure as hell wasn’t planning on doing _that_. Nat looked mollified, but only ever so slightly.

Without further ado, Clint thrust the small box into Tony’s hands (who was actually stunned into silence for _once in his fucking life_ ).

Dumbfoundedly, the genius opened it to reveal a ring. They were simple in design; some dark wood with a silver band around. Nothing too expensive, nothing too shabby. A good deal; like Clint considered himself to be on good days.

Tony stared at them with big eyes for several minutes. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Steve beat him right to it-

“Oh my God, they’re getting engaged, I can’t believe it, where is my notepad, I have a wedding to plan! This is so exciting-”

And he was gone.

Clint stared after him. “This is not what this is. Could somebody stop him from booking a location?”

“On it,” Nat replied dutifully. “I’m good at destroying his dreams.”

 

Clint chuckled a little when he saw the blatant relief on Tony’s face.

“C’mon now, give me some credit.”

“You have to admit, this looks an awful lot like a proposal.”

The archer pouted a little. “Well, it’s not. It’s just-“ here, he hesitated. In the broad light of day, his rationale seemed a little bit dumb. You see, Tony Stark was a wanted man. Clint knew that there were countless dinners with beautiful and rich people Tony attended every week; people who would charm him and flirt with him. Clint trusted Tony.

That didn’t mean that he didn’t absolutely hate every second of it.

But if Tony was wearing a ring; there would be an obvious reminder who he belonged with; even though nobody would know what it meant. But it just being there, as a part of Clint that was travelling with Tony wherever he went, would come a long way to ease some of his anxiety. In a sense, it was selfish.

But Clint just couldn’t help himself.

 

“It’s something from me that you can wear. So, uh, it’ll remind you of me, even when we’re apart.”

“So I wouldn’t miss you as much?” Tony asked playfully, while slipping the ring on. The smirk on his face told Clint that he saw right through him but was too polite to call him out on it in front of their friends.

Clint blushed a little more. “Yeah, something like that.”

The engineer grinned, delighted that he was able to make his partner so flustered. “Come here, you unbelievable man.”

Clint let himself be pulled in Tony’s lap, who peppered little pecks all over his face, that made his skin all tingly.

He laughed; the happiness in his heart spilling over, bubbling through him; he wouldn’t have been able to stop laughing, even if he tried.

***

Much later that night, there were standing at the door of Clint’s bedroom, wrapped in a tight embrace, kissing tenderly. When he felt the wooden texture of the ring against his skin, where Tony had curled his hand securely around the back of his neck, Clint didn’t hesitate to deepen the kiss. Tony made an encouraging little noise in the back of his throat.

As they pulled away for air, the engineer grinned and nibbled playfully on his partner’s earlobe.

 

“I like it when you get all possessive,” he rumbled low; his voice a rich timbre right in Clint’s ear.

The archer responded by pulling Tony more tightly against himself; surprising both of them with his enthusiasm. Usually, he was the timid one when it came to prospects of sexual activities; but something about this night kindled a fire within him.

“You’re mine.”

He punctuated the statement with a sharp bite over Tony’s collarbone, that made the other twitch and gasp as a sudden spike of arousal danced through his system.

“All yours,” Tony replied, and Clint felt pretty smug at how breathless he sounded.

After all, it was Tony Stark they were talking about; the man with a legacy in the bedroom. That he, inexperienced silly little Clint Barton, could rile him up this easily filled the archer with immense satisfaction.

 

Driven by this intoxicating feeling, Clint pushed Tony against the door and nothing but covered his partner’s body with his own.

“Fuck,” Tony cursed faintly under his breath, “Shit, _Clint_ , that’s so hot.”

Clint didn’t respond verbally, he preferred sneaking his hands inside Tony’s suit jacket, gripping the soft fabric of the grey cotton T-shirt he wore underneath. The back of his knuckles brushed against a slip of paper, securely hidden away in the jacket.

Tony must have heard the quiet rustling, because he paused his wriggling momentarily, causing Clint to do the same.

“Everything okay?” the archer asked, worried that he might have overstepped some line.

“Don’t you worry, Birdie, I’m just peachy,” Tony grinned easily, drawing idle circles on Clint’s chest to empathize his point.

“I, uh, I got you another present. Well, you and Lily more accurately.”

 

At this, Clint pulled away completely, to have a better look at his partner. It was rare for Tony to stutter, he usually wasn’t unsure of himself.

He watched Tony pull the folded piece of paper out of his jacket and holding it out to him, with a defiant look on his face; the look he usually wore when he tried to mask insecurity.

Clint arched an eyebrow but took it.

“You know, Tones,” he started while unfolding it, “you really don’t have to give us so much, we’re already living here, after all and-“

 

He stopped, as one phrase caught his eye.

He went over the line again; second-guessing himself. He rarely got things right when he just skimmed them. The words were slightly blurry at first and his hands were starting to shake a little from nerves, making it even harder to concentrate on the writing before him.

He knew he stood and just read for an inappropriate amount of time; but he had to make sure he understood what Tony was offering here.

Tony waited patiently (always patient and never annoyed that Clint was slow, sometimes), the tension in his shoulders the only thing betraying his own nervousness.

 

“I know,” he started after another minute; getting anxious from the silence (Tony never handled silence very well), “I don’t have to give you as much as I do but I want to. You’re both important to me.”

Clint finally looked up, his eyes swimming in unshed tears. He wasn’t usually the overly emotional type; but things about Lily got him- and things _for_ Lily got him even more.

“The account’s on your name, all decisions are yours only,” Tony continued gently, “how you fill it is completely at your disposal; but I’m asking you for your permission to accept a monthly deposit from Stark Industries. I already talked to the others, and they’d be all happy to take their share as well.”

 

Clint bit his lower lip and stared down at the confirmation letter for a new bank account. An account solely dedicated to secure Lily’s future.

He didn’t know what to say.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

It- _this_ \- was the nicest thing his friends had ever done for him, and it wasn’t like they got anything out of it. There was no direct benefit for them in giving some of their money for Lily’s education. The only reward was a poor parent’s only joy; watching their kid grow up and have all the opportunities in the world. Something that Clint worried about in the early hours of the morning; knowing that no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn’t be able to tackle this obstacle on his own. It had grounded him in the worst kind of ways, knowing that-while he could offer Lily a better life than her life at the circus- his hands were tied to a certain extend.

But now she could go to college, if she wanted to. Or to an art school, or study abroad.

She would have all the opportunities _Clint couldn’t even think of_ , because they never had been offered to him.

 

But Lily could have them, now.

Lily could have the future that she deserved.

Because of the Avengers.

Because of her family.

 

The significance of this moment crashed down on him like a tidal wave. He pulled Tony as physically possible and buried his face in the crook of his neck and took some shuddering breaths. The warm smell of sandalwood and motor oil calmed his racing heart. Tony closed his arms around him and just held him.

“I’m sorry I killed the mood,” the engineer joked.

Clint chuckled wetly against his skin.

“You’re absolutely insane, Tony. This... you… fuck.” He looked up from his hiding spot, rubbing at his eyes. They were a little red and his nose sounded stuffy.

Tony’s heart grew ten sizes.

 

“Now I _wish_ it had been a proposal.”

The statement was delivered in such a heartfelt, yet such a pouty fashion, that Tony broke into loud belly-laughter before he could stop himself.

“It’s not too late to get Steve in on the job,” he wheezed between giggles.

Clint rolled his eyes playfully, before grabbing his face between his hands and bringing their lips together.

 

“Please stay here tonight,” he mumbled; his breath a warm whisper against Tony’s wet and well-kissed lips.

“You sure?” Tony asked lightly; the hand resting on Clint’s hip not betraying his own desire to just let himself fall into the arms of his archer.

 

And then, Clint smiled at him, and there was this twinkle in his eyes- the twinkle Tony loved with every fiber of his heart- and just pulled him inside of his bedroom.

The ‘I love you’ remained yet again unsaid between them, but both men felt it like a fire burning deep within them, warming them on this cold Winter evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading, I'm wishing you happy holidays.
> 
> Bookmarks, kudos, and comment are like the best Christmas present *wink wink, nudge nudge*
> 
> (also this was written yesterday, please be so kind to ignore any typos or point them out to me; thaaanks)


	3. First shared night (featuring: sexy times)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepy times lead to sexy times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's back with some sweet, sweet smut :D

Clint awoke from two warm arms wrapping around him gently. It must have been in the early hours of the morning, just between dark and sunrise. The archer’s mind was still pleasantly groggy; he couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so well. He and Tony crawled into bed together and despite the excitement of the previous hours, sleep had claimed them quickly.

With a small sigh, he shuffled until his back was resting against Tony’s front. The hand on his chest traveled up to his neck and gently urged him to turn his head. He complied effortlessly, allowing his equally awake boyfriend to kiss him.

The scruff of the goatee was slightly more pronounced now that Tony hadn’t shaved in a while and rubbed pleasantly against his own five-o’clock-shadow.

Everything was soft, and slow- their movements still groggy from sleep, their skin still warm from being huddled together under the covers. Clint felt his own body melt against Tony’s, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest and Tony’s erection pressing against the small of his back.

 

How bizarre, to think that Clint had been reluctant to be intimate with Tony for such a long time. It hadn’t been the prospect of being with Tony like that, rather insecurity about his own inexperience; doubt about his own abilities as a lover. Tony was a sensual man, a man known for being amazing in bed. Clint had been worried sick that his own performance would be inadequate in comparison.

It wasn’t at all like Clint had expected, and a small part of his mind was awake enough to chide himself for thinking like that. Those things he heard (or saw online, by accident) weren’t about the Tony he knew. He might have come off as a self-absorbed playboy but… that wasn’t like Tony treated _him_. With him, Tony was sweet and thoughtful and so gentle; Clint felt almost bad for assuming that this behavior wouldn’t translate into the bedroom.

 

Nothing about that seemed to matter now, however, as they lay tightly entwined, kissing lazily. Of course, a few gentle kisses weren’t enough the ease months worth of self-doubt, but they relaxed Clint enough to let himself fall into the experience and be guided by his partner.

Whatever was about to happen, Tony would be right there with him; and Tony would be tender and loving, making Clint forget that he was supposed to be insecure about himself. And even if he got overwhelmed and even if they didn’t… Tony would still be by his side in the morning.

It was one of the few things Clint was absolutely sure of (How rewarding, to let your guard down to let another person in. How rewarding, to be cherished like this. How rewarding to trust and love, like Clint trusted and loved Tony in this very moment).

Clint smiled against Tony’s lips.

 

The engineer’s tongue slowly traced the closed seam of his lips, asking for entrance. Clint hesitatedly opened them, self-conscious about his sour morning-breath; but at the first touch of Tony’s tongue against his, he forgot all about his worries. Instead, he let himself be snogged thoroughly, small noises escaping him between kisses.

By the time Tony’s mouth left his, Clint’s lips were wet and tender- tingling from the attention. Fuzzy arousal had started emerging from his lips to his chest, and legs, and crotch. It wasn’t desperate or rushed like he imagined their first intimate encounter would be- it was slow and soft and _so sweet_ that-

 

Clint lost his train of thought when his boyfriend’s teeth latched onto his neck; kissing and biting the sensitive area- _marking_ him. Simultaneously, Tony’s hand found one of his nipples peeking through the fabric of his shirt and massaged it only with his fingertip. A wanton moan left Clint’s mouth. He instantly bit down on his lower lip, slightly embarrassed for being so loud (Lily had a sleepover at Nat’s floor, fortunately, but still); the mere notion of Tony claiming him was so feral and _hot_ , Clint felt dizzy.

The lips on his neck arched up into a grin. Clint didn’t have to open his eyes to know that it was smug. He wanted to scold at Tony but feared the beauty of this moment would vanish if he decided to break the comfortable silence between them.

It wasn’t often that he found Tony comfortable with silence. The engineer’s mouth was usually running non-stop, in a never-ending stream of commentary. Whenever silence stretched between them, Clint had the feeling that Tony was disappearing deep inside his own head, allowing whatever thoughts he had to consume him.

But now, Tony wasn’t million miles away, he was right here with him- for the first time since they started dating seemingly comfortable with himself and the silence around them.

 

Clint found Tony’s hip and started rubbing small circles, fingers catching against the soft hem of the engineer’s boxers and brushing the hot skin peeking out from underneath his t-shirt.

Tony hummed in affirmation of this turn of events and Clint felt the vibrations all the way down to his cock, which was now fully hard, the bulge tenting his cotton briefs.

He buried his face against the pillow underneath his head, cheeks burning with embarrassment and arousal. He was so sensitive; they barely started, and he was already massively turned on.

 

The nimble fingers left his chest and pulled at the hem of his shirt, silently asking for permission to take it off.

Clint wasn’t really self-conscious about his body- it had a lot of nice parts, like strong muscles, and appealing shapes. Still, as Tony slowly lifted the fabric to expose more of his skin, Clint held his breath. He was okay-looking (good-looking on good days), but maybe he wasn’t the kind of okay-looking Tony desired. His skin wasn’t as sun-kissed as Bruce’s and his stomach wasn’t as ripped as Thor’s and his waist wasn’t as trim as Steve’s. He was, you know, slightly above average; a trained average. Nothing compared to actual Gods and superhumans. Just… plain old Clint.

 

Rustling behind him indicated that his partner was getting rid of his own shirt as well. Before Clint had the time to dwell on his issues some more, Tony pulled him against himself again. With no boundaries between them, Clint felt the heat radiating off Tony’s body like a small fire against his back. It calmed him.

When he shifted, he could feel the bumpy scar tissue from where the Arc reactor used to be rub against his skin. He found Tony’s hip again and squeezed and turned his head to catch Tony’s lips in a kiss. He didn’t say the things that were running through his mind as Tony’s chest rested flush against him, but his actions were enough. Tony understood.

In reply, the engineer began to trace all the different scars littering his boyfriend’s torso; one by one, with feather-light, gentle touches. Clint understood, too.

 

Tony pinched one of his nipples again and Clint arched up involuntarily; the arousal that had cooled down to a pleasant burning surrounding him spiked up like a flare; hot pleasure washing over him in a powerful wave. Tony lavished attention on Clint, taking his time rolling the little nub until it was coaxed to full hardness, then proceeded to give the same treatment to the other. By the time both his nipples were peeked- erect and tender- Clint’s head was pleasantly fuzzy. His partner’s mouth was a continuous presence against his neck or throat; gently caressing over his skin. Warm breath rolled over the goosebumps which lips left in their path.

 

Clint had never been touched so tenderly before, so _lovingly_. It filled a hole in his chest he didn’t know was there until Tony had started worshipping him like he was beautiful; until Clint felt like he _was_. It strung a chord within him and he let out a shuddering breath that had nothing to do with arousal.

 

The archer felt Tony inhale against his skin, deep and satisfied. They both smelled of sleep, and sweat, and desire- a special, earthy, _rich_ aroma. Intoxicating.

Clint was addicted right away.

 

Tony’s calloused hands wandered down his torso; their ridges catching slightly at the tender skin of Clint’s stomach. He had always adored Tony’s hands- they were big, and warm, and formed by the clever work they did. What Tony managed to create with them astonished Clint to no end; more than once he had found himself lost in watching Tony building a gadget or tuning the suit. The same hands were now a warm presence against his abdomen, a teasing, yet grounding touch.

How he deserved somebody so wonderful, Clint would never be able to comprehend.

 

The engineer’s thumb ghosted along the waistline of his underwear, asking a silent question. Clint’s heart swelled every time Tony stopped and took his time to ask for permission. It was such a genuine gesture and Clint couldn’t even fully understand why it made him happy, but it did. It was new, being taken care of like that. It felt _so_ good.

Clint sucked in a sharp breath when Tony’s knuckles lightly grazed the shape of his erection.

This was it, he realized.

The point of no return.

Nerves were making his stomach flutter and his limps tickled in anticipation.

He could always say no, Tony would be an absolute sweetheart about it, he was sure.

But… why should he?

He couldn’t remember the reasons he once had.

They hardly mattered now, when he was ready- so _ready_ \- for this.

 

Instead of voicing his answer, Clint turned his head and kissed Tony on the chin; soft lips scratching over stubble. A warm glow emitted from his partner’s eyes, Clint could see it despite the dim darkness of the room. He smiled and nuzzled his face against Tony’s cheek in a moment of open affection. It felt pure, and sweet, and like _coming home_.

 

He felt Tony grin and hum low; simultaneously, his briefs were slowly- tantalizingly slow- pulled from his hips. He shimmied a little to hurry the process along and blushed hotly when his cock slapped wetly against his stomach. Christ, he was _so hard_.

Tony noticed it, too, as his hand went straight to rub over the pre-come drippling over the head. Clint made a low sound and slammed his eyes shut- the visual of Tony slowly jerking him off (and the way the ring Clint gave him as a present added an extra source of stimulation) was almost too much for the riled-up archer. There was no way he would last- especially since Tony played him so skillfully.

 

Not even half a dozen strokes in, Clint felt his balls draw up close to his body. The pleasure rolled over him gradually in hot, tingling waves; shooting from the back of his spine through his entire body.

It had never felt like this when he had masturbated, not even when he had started to think about Tony while doing it. This pleasure was exquisite and intense, and it was shared with the man he loved.

 

His partner noticed the hitch in his breathing and pulled him closer; Tony’s own rock-hard cock was now tightly nestled against the archer’s ass, a whisper of a touch against Clint’s crack, but he could still feel it vividly and hot against himself, despite the fabric of Tony’s boxers. Immediately, Clint’s mind was flooded with images of what Tony could do to him, of what he would _let Tony do to him_.

Clint groaned, and let his head fall back against his lover’s shoulder.

 

Tony’s hand had sped up considerably- the slide over his hot, rigid flesh made easy and smooth from all the pre-come he was leaking- now jerking him off in earnest. Clint shuddered and curled his toes, as his peak drew near.

 

“Are you going to come for me, baby?”

 _Baby_.

 _Oh my God_.

Clint whined.

Never would he have thought that anyone could call _him_ ‘baby’. He was much too rough for that, much too less delicate and lovely, and other things he associated with the pet-name. But now, as Tony addressed him, claimed him as _his_ , it felt like the best praise in the world.

The tone of his partner’s voice was rough and loving, filled with so much unmasked attraction and affection, that it finally pushed Clint over the edge. His whole body jerked through the best and longest orgasm of his life. Tony held him close and whispered sweet nothings in his ear, while he coaxed spurt after spurt out of Clint’s cock.

 

When he was finished, the archer slumped against his boyfriend almost bonelessly; basking in the floaty feeling of afterglow. He made a mess all over his stomach and Tony’s hand and felt like he should be terribly embarrassed by his poor performance of stamina, although he was too blissed out to care at this point.

Tony peppered his neck with feather-light kisses, still holding him close. Without the blinding pleasure of his own arousal, Clint could feel Tony’s hardness more pronounced against his naked skin. Without breaking the embrace, Clint turned around, that he was facing Tony to give him a proper kiss. The come on his stomach rubbed stickily against the sheets, but Clint decided that laundry wasn’t his main concern at the moment.

 

He sneaked his hands down to take Tony’s underwear off. The sound his partner made when his hot cock was exposed to the colder air of the bedroom was something that would keep Clin awake on lonely nights.

Feeling bold, Clint darted forward and latched onto Tony’s earlobe, gently biting it (the engineer had sensitive ears; Clint had discovered it while giving him a head-rub). Strong arms tightened around him and Tony let out another low sound that Clint felt vibrating through both of them.

 

“Tell me what you want,” he asked gently, his voice husky from the lack of use.

The man in his arms took a shuddering breath that was hotter than it had any right to be. Clint watched in amazement how that presumed sex god hid his face in the crook of his neck, almost shy; so different from what Clint expected. Then again, it seemed like Tony was full of wonderful surprises when it came to sex.

 

Words rolled over the overly-sensitive skin of his throat; nothing more than a hot, needy breath:

“I want…I want your fingers... God, _please_ finger me.”

 

The archer couldn’t stop the groan at those words and his cock gave a very strong jerk. The thought of pleasing his partner with something so incredibly intimate sent a thrill through Clint’s body.

Now, somewhere in the back of his mind, he was incredibly nervous- he most likely wasn’t the first person to finger Tony and his own experience with the matter was a little outdated. Yet, the adrenaline and endorphins kept him from feeling anything but confidence and happiness.

They were really doing this.

And it was _fantastic_.

 

“Yeah, we can definitely do that.”

Whatever Tony had heard in it must have been enough, because the next thing he knew, Tony had him gently resituated against the headboard, while the man himself kneeled above him. If he would lower himself, he would be sitting snuggly in Clint’s lap- just the position gave the archer filthy ideas for next time.

Tony was delicious above him; watching him with half-lidden and heavy eyes. His lips were parted and he was breathing heavily, cock jutting between them and drippling pre-come onto Clint’s abdomen. Clint traced the path of dark hair from Tony’s navel to the nest of neatly trimmed black curls and watched in amazement how Tony’s muscles jerked softly from the attention. Overcome by a wave of pure adoration, Clint pulled his boyfriend down to meet him in a fiery kiss. He bullied his tongue in Tony’s mouth with a vigor he didn’t know he had in himself and felt Tony melt against him. When he caressed over his partner’s member, Tony moaned loudly against his lips.

Clint swallowed audibly (and wondered vaguely if he’d get hard again just from watching the god-damn masterpiece that was Tony Stark).

 

“C’mon, I need it, I need you,” Tony groaned wantonly, but he was smiling- and Clint was glad that some of Tony’s usual over-demanding, smug character made itself known again. It put him at ease.

“Bossy,” he grinned, and sneaked both of his hands to Tony’s ass, to give it a healthy squeeze. The smug look crumbled from his boyfriend’s face in a matter of seconds.

“Yes,” he hissed. “Please.”

“Anything for you, Tones.”

 

Clint’s hands were shaking a little when he fished the lube out of his nightstand and applied a generous amount of it to his fingers; rubbing them together to warm them up. Tony followed his every move with his eyes, biting his lower lip.

 

The first touch against Tony’s entrance sent a shiver through both of them. The engineer spread his legs obscenely wide, exposing his hole to Clint’s every ministration. The soft skin yielded with every swipe against it, until the archer was able to enter him to the first knuckle in one smooth motion.

Tony almost sobbed above him and started shaking; Clint reached out and placed his unoccupied hand against Tony’s jaw in an effort to ground him as he gently worked his finger deeper inside. Tony turned his head and nuzzled his face against Clint’s palm, grateful for the display of affection.

 

Clint kept up a gentle rhythm, feeling how the hot, velvety passage around his fingers relaxed gradually. It was an indescribable feeling- tight and smooth and _intimate_.

Tony’s cock was steadily leaking now, adding to the mess on Clint’s stomach and the archer _loved_ it. Encouraged by Tony’s pleasure, Clint pressed another finger against the stretched rim and groaned a little when it opened up easily for the bigger intrusion. He pumped his fingers slowly, determining the best angle. Crooking them slightly up-right, he rubbed against the soft nub deep inside Tony; which made the man above him jerk and moan.

“ _Clint_ , please,” Tony panted, and Clint thought it was the best way his name had ever sounded from his partner’s lips, “Please fuck me.”

From that point on, all finesse was lost as Clint started to move his fingers in precise, hard trusts, that turned Tony into a quivering mess in a matter of minutes. Clint tightened the hand against Tony’s jaw, feeling to flutter of his partner’s heartbeat against his own skin. Tony kissed his palm and groaned against it, slamming his eyes shut.

“Don’t,” the archer requested softly. “Tony, please, look at me. I want to see you.”

 

Tony let out another loud moan at hearing his partner talk to him so lovingly. It was something he wasn’t used to during sex. There was a strong emotion welling up in his chest, settling around his heart and throat. Clint looked at him like he was the best damn thing in the universe- eyes bright, a small smile on his well-kissed lips. It was the most beautiful sight that Tony had ever seen.

“It’s never… I’ve never… fuck...you’re so good to me,” he started babbling. He realized that it was bad bedroom etiquette to talk about past sexual encounters, but he couldn’t stop himself; there were a lot of rumors around his sex life (some true, most of them not) and he knew that Clint had heard about most of them. It had built up a certain pressure around their intimacy, like either one of them was trying to prove a point. But all of this tension had shattered away with the first touch of his fingers against Clint’s erection. Layers of emotional armor had been stripped away until he was at his most vulnerable- trusting and raw and _open_. Nobody had ever seen him like this, nobody has ever treated him like this.

Heat coiled in Tony’s chest and pulled at his abdomen.

 

“Baby, I’m so close-“

“Touch yourself. Show me how much you love it, Tones.” _How much you love me_.

 

Clint’s eyes never left Tony’s face, but he heard the engineer jerk his erection wetly. There was a distinct quiver in Tony’s thighs which Clint felt against the sides of his legs and he doubled his efforts, fingering Tony hard and fast. His boyfriend’s face tensed, the wet slap of skin against skin becoming erratic. The expression on Tony’s face was one of pure concentration yet clouded heavily with lust.

“You look gorgeous like this,” Clint whispered thickly.

Tony made a noise that half sounded like a groan, half like a version of Clint’s name; as his orgasm hit him. Clint watched all the tension bleed out of Tony’s face, replaced by an expression of pure satisfaction. Hot stripes of semen hit Clint’s abdomen and chest and Tony’s walls clambered around his fingers. It was intense, feeling Tony come like that, and Clint’s cock gave another weak twitch in interest.

 

Spent and sated, Tony rested his head against Clint’s chest. He rubbed his sweaty forehead against the warm skin.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Yeah, wow,” Clint echoed him, gently pulling his fingers out. The hand wandered from Tony’s jaw to his hair, massaging the thick strands.

Tony made a satisfied purring noise and rolled over next to Clint, intertwining their legs and urging him to keep up the gentle caress. With a playful eyeroll, Clint humored him. He could hardly hide how giddy he was himself. Happiness was filling every cell of his body and he felt like goo; a melted happy mess next to the man he loved.

 

Tony lazily turned his head and gave him a smile that was brighter than the early morning sun filtering through the curtains.

He leaned over and gave Tony a lingering kiss.

“Good morning,” the engineer murmured into the kiss, still smiling.

Clint laughed.

“Good morning to you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys for taking forever; I have a lot of Uni stuff on my plate. 
> 
> But that was fun :D Don't worry people who requested stuff, I didn' forget about y'all, I just wanted to get the smut on when it made sense ;)
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, commenting, kudo-ing and bookmarking <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear readers <3  
> I'm planning on making this a fun little collection about all the different 'firsts' you can have in a relationship, so if you got a scenario you really really want to see, just let me know!
> 
> I'm thanking my amazing friend @KasyStarchild (https://archiveofourown.org/users/KasyStarchild/pseuds/KasyStarchild) for all the support and ideas and just for her being so amazing <3 <3 
> 
> As always, leave me a comment/a bookmark/some kudos to let me know if you like it. You guys reading and supporting my stories means so much, by the way, it makes me so happy :3


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